College Basketball: Wissahickon product, Jordan Reed, made instant impact in freshman season at Binghampton

BINGHAMPTON, N.Y. — Jordan Reed did not expect to be a main cog let alone the main cog as a freshman at Binghamton University. During a bittersweet 2012-13 season, he not only built the foundation for what could be a memorable collegiate career, but he quickly became a household name in the America East Conference.

Among Reed’s numerous highlights were being named America East Rookie of the Week five times, leading the conference in rebounds (9.5), placing second in scoring (16.6 points, one-tenth of a point off the lead) and setting several BU freshman records.

Unfortunately, his accomplishments were on a team that lost its last 11 games to finish 3-27, including a 1-16 mark against conference opponents. The Bearcats’ placement at the bottom of the conference undoubtedly kept Reed from earning something loftier than third-team conference honors and may have kept him from being named the conference’s rookie of the year; Reed settled for runner-up to Stony Brook’s Jameel Warney.

Losing is something that did not happen much when Reed was at Wissahickon High. The 6-4, 205-pound guard from Ambler capped a sparkling high school career a year ago by averaging 24.5 points in leading the Trojans to the Suburban One American Conference title and a berth in the PIAA state tournament. The icing on the cake was being named the Times-Herald Player of the Year.

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Alas, that is yesterday’s news.

“I definitely was not expecting us to lose as much as we did, but it happened,” said Reed. “All I could do was to try my best, follow the coaches’ assignments, take time to watch film, work on my skills in practice and stuff like that.”

That is exactly what first-year coach Tommy Dempsey wanted Reed to do. Dempsey, who recruited Reed when he coached at Rider, and the school’s administration first had to deliver a message by suspending Reed for an exhibition game and the first two games of the regular season. Reed was involved in an off-campus disturbance prior to the season that Dempsey said was a matter of being in the “wrong place at the wrong time” and resulted in 20 hours of community service.

“I thought it was important to send a message, especially a young player” said Dempsey. “From that point on he did a great job for us. The losing was difficult, but he had a huge level of responsibility right off the bat. He was smart enough to know where we were as a team and realize he could be a focal point as a freshman. The experience he gained was very valuable.”

Reed would agree.

“I learned a lot on the court, but certainly off the court as well,” said Reed. “I feel as though I have grown as a person in my first year in Binghamton.”

Reed made his debut Nov. 13 at Navy and went on to score at least 20 points seven times, including a high of 29 on Feb. 16 against visiting Maine. He also established a school record with 11 double-doubles. One such game was a 62-54 home-court victory over St. Peter’s when he scored 17 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, the most boards by a Bearcat since the program made the jump to the Division-I level 12 years ago.

Reed demonstrated the ability to make a smooth and quick transition from Wissahickon to the Division-I level of play. By his estimation his arrival time came soon after the Navy game.

“The nerves got to me in my first college game, but I got the jitters out of the way and by my second or third game I began to realize that I can play with these guys,” he said. “I knew I could produce and (Dempsey) was starting to have confidence in me. I knew I was going to be somebody that could be relied on.”

With his freshman season barely in the rearview mirror, Reed is already looking ahead to next season. Specifically, he would like to broaden his impact on the Bearcats beyond the box score.

“I want to be a leader for my team next season,” he said. “I definitely have to work on leadership qualities and make smarter decisions in order to put my team in a better position to win.”

That is music to Dempsey’s ears. Given what Reed accomplished this season, Dempsey will be looking toward his young star to take the next step on what will still be a very young BU squad in 2013-14.

“That will be important for us because he came here with me to help us build a program,” said Dempsey. “We were not quite talented enough to win many games, but one bright spot was the development and impact he made as a freshman. We will be asking a lot of him as a sophomore.”

College life has also had an impact on Reed, who had high praise for the Bearcats fans that hung in there with the team during a trying season. He also credited Dempsey and particularly assistant coach Ben Luber, a former Penn State guard who was on Dempsey’s staff at Rider, for his development.

“One thing I learned about college is that time flies,” said Reed, who is not sure what his major will be, but he would like to explore options in the business arena. “I am always doing something and as a freshman it sometimes can get to be overwhelming especially with a lot of the academic stuff. I can’t complain, though, because a lot of people would love to be in my situation.”

Reed is a big Philadelphia sports fan, a “hometown guy” as he puts it. An NBA player that Reed followed closely was Philly native Ronald “Flip” Murray. Murray went to Strawberry Mansion High School and was a Division-II player of the year at Shaw University in North Carolina. He played several seasons in the NBA with his last being 2009-10.

“He made it from a D-II program to the NBA and I like the way he played,” said Reed. “I felt like he played with chip on his shoulder.”

Reed will have a lot on his shoulders next season, but he would not have it any other way.

“I just have to keep working,” he said. “I am taking a couple of weeks off before starting to prepare for next season and I am going to do all I can to help us win.”